Download Teacher`s Guide for Solar System, a Kingfisher Young Knowledge

A Teacher's Guide
Solar System
by Dr. Mike Goldsmith
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Discussion
Vocabulary
Science
Language Arts/Writing
Language Arts/Science/Foreign Language
Discussion
Begin your study of Solar System by Dr. Mike Goldsmith with a discussion about what your
students know about the solar system. Questions can include:
•How many planets are in our solar system?
•What is the only star in the solar system?
•What is the earth's closest neighbor in space?
•What are the two furthest planets from earth?
As the children give their answers, start creating a KWL chart to keep track of the many
things they know and would like to know about the solar system. As the class reads the
book, refer back to the KWL chart and add new things they learn.
Sample KWL Chart:
Solar System
What we know about the
solar system
The solar system is made
up of nine (ten?) planets.
What we would like to
learn about the solar
system
What we learned about the solar
system
Is there life on any other Scientists believe there may have
planet?
been life on Mars because there
used to be valleys filled with water.
Standards:
Language Arts:
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Generates questions about topics of interest
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Uses a variety of sources to gather information
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Makes contributions in class and group discussions
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Relates new information to prior knowledge and experience
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Vocabulary
Highlighted vocabulary words are found at the bottom of the pages in the book. Additional
words from the text that you should focus on are:
gas (page 11)
sunscreen (page 11)
erupt (page 24)
far side of the moon (page 18)
chemical (page 25)
ridges (page 30)
craters (page 30)
tapestry (page 38)
whitish (page 39)
drift (page 42)
Standards:
Language Arts/Reading:
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Uses word reference materials to determine the meaning and pronunciation of
unknown words
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Uses a variety of context clues to decode unknown words
Science
The solar system is enormous. Unimaginably huge! But you can give your students a sense
of the size of the solar system and interplanetary distances with this activity. If you have a
space the size of a football field, you can make a model that is 330 feet from the Sun to
Saturn. From end to end a football field is 360 feet (300 feet from goal line to goal line plus
the end zones). Explain to your students that you would need up to four football fields in
length to include the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in your model.
Make signs on oak tag for each of the bodies in our solar system. Each sign should have the
name printed clearly and a scaled drawing. Use chart 1, which shows scaled diameters, to
draw the sun and the planets. The units are in inches and millimeters. For Mercury, and
Mars, use a dot the size of a period. For Venus and the Earth, double the size of the dot. For
the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn, we've included the scaled size in millimeters. (It will be easier
to use.)
Divide the class into seven groups; each group to be one of the planetary bodies in the
model. Using chart 2, place the group with the Sun's picture on the goal line. Then send the
other groups out. They can use yardsticks or tape measures to find where they should
stand. If these things are not available, we've added the number of "giant" steps they can
use to pace off the distances. The Saturn group should be standing at the end of the end
zone. When everyone is in place, they can see how far they are from each other and the size
of each planet.
If you have limited space, you can make a smaller model of the entire solar system indoors
in the school hallway in just 100 feet using chart 3.
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Chart 1
Body
Approximate Diameter in Miles Scaled Diameter in Inches
Sun
865,000
3.843 (about 97.5 mm)
Mercury
3,029
0.013 (small dot or period)
Venus
7,519
0.033 (large dot)
Earth
7,926
0.035 (large dot)
Mars
4,223
0.019 (small dot or period)
Jupiter
89,000
0.394 (10 mm or 1 cm
Saturn
75,000
0.333 (8.45 mm)
Chart 2: 330 foot scale from the Sun to Saturn
Body
Distance for the sun
(miles)
Scaled Distance
Giant Steps
Sun
0
0
0
Mercury
36,000,000
13ft 4in
4½
Venus
67,000,000
24ft 10in
8
Earth
93,000,000
34ft 5in
11 ½
Mars
141,000000
52ft 5in
17 ½
Jupiter
484,000,000
178ft 11in
60
Saturn
1,783,000,000
328ft 1in
110
For the hallway model, represent the Sun and the planet with nametags and use the chart
below:
Chart 3: 100 foot scale from the Sun to Pluto
Body
Scaled Distance
Sun
0
Mercury 11in
Venus
1ft 10in
Earth
2ft 6in
Mars
3ft 10in
Jupiter
13ft 2in
Saturn
24ft 2in
Uranus
48ft 7 in
Neptune 76ft 2in
Pluto
100 ft
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Standards:
Science/Astronomy:
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Understands the spatial relationship between the Sun, the Earth, and the other
planets
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Knows that the planets in space are separated from one another by vast
distances
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Knows that planets look like stars
Mathematics:
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Understands the basic properties of the concept of measurement
Cooperative Learning:
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Contributes to the overall effort of a group
Language Arts/Writing
In 1972, a team of scientists placed a plaque containing a pictoral message aboard the
Pioneer 10 spacecraft. The message was meant to tell about the origin of the spacecraft in
the unlikelihood that it was found by some intelligent life form out in space millions of years
in the future. What would your students have put in that message? What would they want
someone from another solar system to know about them? Have your students discuss what
is important to them and to their families. What do they think is important to humankind?
Then ask each one to write about what they would place in the "space-time bottle." Their
entries can be in paragraphs, letters, poems, photographs, or pictures. The children should
share their responses with each other.
Standards:
Language Arts/Writing:
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Writes in a variety of forms or genres
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Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Language Arts/Listening and Speaking:
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Participates in group discussions
Language Arts/Science/Foreign Language
Play planetary linguistics with your class and learn the names of the planets in a number of
foreign languages. Below you'll find a chart of the names of the bodies in the solar system in
English and three other languages: French, Spanish, and Italian. You will notice that some of
the planet names are recognizable in any of the languages.
First, say the names aloud as a model for your students. Have them repeat what you say,
then practice until they feel comfortable saying the words.
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Then, hand out thirty 4x6 blank index cards to the class. Depending on the number of
students you have, some children might get more than one card. Assign each student the
name of a planet in a specific language. Each student should refer to the chart and copy the
name on his/her card clearly. In the upper right hand corner of the card, he/she should
write the name of the language.
To help them remember the name of the planet, ask them to decorate the card(s) with a
pictures. Collect the cards and mix them up. Distribute all of the cards randomly back to the
class. Again, how many cards each student gets depends on the size of your class. At a
signal, they should arrange themselves in the correct order of the planets from the Sun to
Pluto. If a child has more than one card he/she should say the planet closest to the Sun
then move to the next group. When they are ready, starting from the Sun, they should each
take turns saying the planetary name and the language it is in. You can repeat this as many
times as you like and see how fast the students can group themselves in the correct order.
Name of the Planets in Many Languages
English: Sun
Mercury Venus
Earth Mars
Jupiter Saturn
French:
Soleil Mercure Vénus
Terre Mars
Jupiter Saturne Uranus Neptune Pluton
Italian:
Sole
Spanish: Sol
Mercurio Venere Terra Marte Giove
Uranus Neptune Pluto
Saturno Urano
Mercurio Venere Tierra Marte Júpiter Saturno Uranu
Nettuno Plutone
Neptuno Plutón
If some children in the class speak other foreign languages, they can add those languages to
the chart.
Standards:
Foreign Language:
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Uses vocabulary for a wide range of topics
Cooperative Learning:
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Works with others to produce a common goal
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